SALT LAKE CITY — Landon Copeland, Utah’s highest-profile Jan. 6 suspect, is discussing a guilty plea with prosecutors, his attorney said Wednesday.
FOX 13 INVESTIGATES: Army records reveal more about Utahn charged in Capitol riot
His defense attorney, Heather Shaner, asked for more time to “negotiate what would be a more fair plea.” The judge scheduled the next hearing for March 30.
A grand jury indicted Copeland, 34, on 11 counts related to the insurrection, including felonies accusing him of assaulting police that day. He has pleaded not guilty.
No one said in Wednesday’s teleconference what prosecutors’ have offered. About 700 people have been charged in the riot but only a handful have pleaded guilty to the types of crimes Copeland is accused of. They received anywhere from three to five years in prison.
While he was in the Army, Copeland was convicted in a military court of growing marijuana. That could mean a higher sentence with any guilty plea for Jan. 6.
Copeland gained national attention in his first court appearance in May for outbursts that interrupted the judge. He was free pending trial, but was arrested shortly thereafter and accused of threatening his pre-trial probation officer. He has been in the county jail in Hurricane, Utah, ever since and missed the birth of his daughter.
